Chicken Marsala Recipe (2024)

Chicken Marsala is an exceptional dish of tender chicken pieces coated in a luxuriously creamy Marsala sauce. An abundance of earthy mushrooms are found in this recipe for a more rich and deeply flavoured sauce. A beautiful dish for the holiday season, or to treat the family on a weeknight.

Chicken Marsala, with succulent chicken cutlets and silky mushrooms swimming in a dreamy, creamy marsala wine sauce, is my idea of heavenly comfort food. The dish looks gorgeous and fancy, but couldn’t be easier to prepare.

Though some argue this dish is as far removed from Italy as spaghetti and meatballs, I still like to imagine myself eating this in a Sicilian country kitchen with crusty baguettes roughly torn and passed around. A casual bottle of wine to wash it all down wouldn’t hurt, either.

Table of Contents[Hide]

What is Chicken Marsala?
Recipe Ingredients And Notes
Do I Have To Pound The Chicken?
🌟Expert Tips🌟
How To Make Chicken Marsala, Step-by-Step
Expert Tips
Tips For Making The Perfect Marsala Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Suggestions
Storing Tips
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Chicken Marsala
- Ingredients1x2x3x
- Instructions
- Notes

Best of all, this is a one skillet dish that is simple to make and can be on the table in less than one hour. Serve it over a tangle of linguine or a side of roasted potatoes. Truly, this dish will delight everyone you cook it for.

What is Chicken Marsala?

Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian-American dish of pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich and creamy Marsala sauce. Lightly flouring the cutlets lets them brown quickly without overcooking, and helps thicken the sauce.

Though believed to originate from Sicily, it’s more of a classic dish found in Italian-North American restaurants than in Italy.

Easily recreated at home, it takes just one skillet, a few common ingredients, and a bottle of Marsala wine to make this swoony dish.It is absolutely delicious and the most requested meal in my home. Once you make it, you will know why.

Recipe Ingredients And Notes

You will have to seek out a bottle of dry Marsala wine if you don’t already have one, aside from that, the ingredients for this easy chicken marsala recipe are very basic.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Chicken Marsala is made with thin chicken cutlets. It is best to buy large chicken breasts that you can split in half lengthwise, then pound slightly. This both tenderizes the meat, and makes them cook quickly.
Salt and pepper – This is the main seasoning used in this dish.
All-purpose flour – To lightly coat the chicken before browning. This both aids browning as well as helps thicken the sauce.
Unsalted butter – A little butter helps give the chicken a nice golden brown exterior. You will also use some to finish the sauce.
Olive oil – Here we use both butter and olive oil to brown the chicken. The olive oil adds flavor as well as helps to prevent the butter from burning.
Cremini mushrooms – Iabsolutely love mushrooms so I use a lot more mushrooms than most recipes call for. Feel free to use less if you wish. White button mushrooms also work.
Shallots – I prefer using shallots but you can use a yellow onion if you wish.
Garlic –Fresh garlic is a great addition to this dish. Use as much or as little as you like.
Dry marsala wine – Marsala is a brandy-fortified wine from Sicily and its unique flavour is what makes this dish so special. Marsala comes in both sweet and dry varieties. For this savoury dish, a dry Marsala is best. If you only have sweet Marsala wine, you can go ahead and use it, just perhaps add a splash of balsamic vinegar to counter the sweetness.
Low-sodium chicken broth – Make sure to buy low-sodium chicken stock (or broth) or the sauce will be too salty.
Fresh parsley – for garnish
Heavy cream – this is what will thicken the sauce and of course give it that delicious creamy flavour.

Do I Have To Pound The Chicken?

This recipe will not work with thick chicken breasts. By the time they cook through, the sauce would reduce too much. So halving the chicken breasts lengthwise is crucial to the success of the dish.

Once sliced in half, pounding them thinner will help them cook even faster and will ensure a more tender chicken.

Place a halved chicken piece between two layers of plastic wrap and gently pound it with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/4-inch thick.

🌟Expert Tips🌟

To make it easier to slice the chicken breasts, place them in the freezer (in a even layer) for 20-30 minutes.
When pounding, don’t bang down on the chicken with the mallet. Instead, let the mallet’s weight drop down on the chicken, almost on its own, without much force. Otherwise, you will shred the chicken and it will fall apart.

How To Make Chicken Marsala, Step-by-Step

The only slightly fastidious part to making this outstanding, one-skillet chicken Marsala, is browning the chicken. Once that is out of the way, the rest comes together super fast.

Here is an overview of the recipe with some visual instructions. The full instructions, ingredients, and measurementswill be in the printable recipe card below.

Prepare the seasoned flour.Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour to a shallow bowl. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pound and season the chicken.Slice the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Working with 1 piece at a time, place inside a plastic bag and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to about an even 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Season and Dredge the chicken.Dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, and transfer to prepared plate.

Brown the chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. A cast iron pan works great. Once oil is shimmering, add the butter. Add the chicken and fry until golden-brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the browned chicken to a large plate. If your skillet is not large enough, do this in two batches.

Brown the mushrooms. Keep the heat on medium-high. Stir in another another tablespoon butter and add the mushrooms. Give them a quick stir, then do not disturb for 2-3 minutes. Stir again, and cook until all their juices release, and they have browned well, about 2 more minutes.

Add the shallots and garlic.Lower to medium heat. Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots slightly soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Deglaze and make sauce. Add the Marsala and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned pieces. Add the broth and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium low. Pour in the cream and simmer until the sauce has darkened and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.

Add the chicken.Return the chicken to the sauce. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and well-coated in sauce, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve.Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately./

Expert Tips

Season well. Chicken can be bland so be sure to season the chicken before dredging it in the seasoned flour.
Be sure to pound the chicken. Beating the chicken will make it thinner so it cooks faster. More importantly, it will tenderize the meat which is essential for the best chicken Marsala.
Be patient when cooking the mushrooms. Mushrooms have a lot of liquid which needs to cook off before they can brown and caramelize. This browning and caramelization will add depth and richness to the final dish.
Avoid using a Marsala “cooking wine”. It has added preservatives and will not make your sauce taste good.
Brown the chicken well in medium-high heat. A flour-coated chicken needs to be pan-seared using high heat or the chicken will not brown nicely and the flour coating will will turn gummy.
Don’t omit the cream. Like most of you, I try and avoid cream whenever possible. Here, it is essential to achieve a rich and creamy Marsala sauce so I don’t recommend omitting or replacing it.

Tips For Making The Perfect Marsala Sauce

To me, this chicken marsala is all about the mushrooms and the lip-smacking creamy Marsala pan sauce. Though incredibly easy to make, it can be tricky to get it just right.

A good pan sauce starts out with afond – the flavourful browned bits stuck at the bottom of the pan.Searing meat produces these browned bits that form on the bottom of a pan. Once the fond is deglazed with a liquid such as wine, it gets whisked into the pan sauce and takes on a deeper, more complex flavour.

Here’s a few common problems you may encounter when making this marsala sauce and tips how to avoid them:

The cream curdles – The acid in alcohol can sometimes cause the cream to curdle or split. To avoid this, add the marsala wine to the pan first and let the alcohol burn off a little. Then add the chicken broth, then the cream.

The sauce is too salty – Be sure to use low-sodium, or no salt chicken broth. If you your broth is not low sodium, use only a pinch of salt to season the chicken.
The sauce is too thick – Don’t over-flour the chicken breast which can cause the sauce to thicken too much. Too much flour will also diminish the flavours of the lovely sauce. Another way to avoid a thick sauce is to use less cream. Most recipes call for an equal amount of wine, broth, and cream. Nothing wrong with that but this ratio will make a very thick sauce once it cooks down. I find using less cream with a lot more wine and broth makes a luxurious-enough sauce, without being too thin or watery.
Not enough sauce – To achieve a velvety thick and creamy sauce with loads of rich flavor, you need to allow time for the liquids to cook down. Unfortunately, this can result in a diminished sauce if you don’t start out with enough liquid. This recipe calls for a good amount of wine and chicken broth which makes a very plentiful sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

CAN I USE CHICKEN THIGHS?

For chicken marsala I would really recommend you stick with boneless chicken breasts. The less fatty chicken breasts really work best with the rich mushroomy sauce. That said, if you only have chicken thighs, go ahead and use them. Just be sure to still pound them out a little so they are the same thickness.

WHAT IS A GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR MARSALA WINE?

Marsala is one of the key ingredients of this dish so it is hard to find a substitute for it. In a pinch, you can use port, sherry, or a Pinot Noir. If you are avoiding wine altogether, youcan use all chicken broth and perhaps add a little splash of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar.

Serving Suggestions

Serving this Italian-American classic dish with a heap of buttered linguini would of course be delicious. Mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta would also make wonderful sides to soak up the divine creamy marsala sauce.

It would also be exceptional with a creamy risotto.

For a lighter fare, try serving it with this delicious cauliflower mash and/or this radicchio salad.

Storing Tips

Chicken Marsala is best eaten right away. The sauce tends to thicken quickly if made ahead, and the cream might split when reheated.

That said, a less saucy chicken marsala is scrumptious when reheated gently days later, or even cold tucked into a crusty bun.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigeratorfor up to 4days.

Chicken Marsala

Author: Sandra Valvassori

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
10 – 12 ounces cemini, or white mushrooms stemmed and thinly sliced
a few sprigs fresh thyme, optional
2 small shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour to a shallow bowl. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Working with 1 piece at a time, place inside a plastic bag and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to about an even 1/4-inch thickness. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap to pound. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, and transfer to prepared plate or baking sheet.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. A cast iron pan works great. Once oil is shimmering, add 1 tablespoon butter. Place the flour coated chicken in the hot skillet and fry until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. If your skillet is not large enough, do this in two batches. Transfer the browned chicken to a large plate.
Keep the heat on medium-high. Stir in another another tablespoon butter and add the mushrooms with fresh thyme spigs, if using. Give them a quick stir, then do not disturb for 2-3 minutes. Stir again, and cook until all their juices release, and they have browned well, about 2-3 more minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots slightly soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the shallots and garlic with the mushrooms; cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in the Marsala and cook for about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned pieces. Add the broth and simmer another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in the cream and simmer gently until the sauce has darkened and slightly thickened, about 4 to 6 minutes longer. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.
Return the chicken to the pan. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and well-coated in sauce, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediatley.

Notes

A Few Tips:

Be sure to pound the chicken. Beating the chicken will make it thinner so it cooks faster. More importantly, it will tenderize the meat which is essential for the best chicken Marsala.
Be patient when cooking the mushrooms. Mushrooms have a lot of liquid which needs to cook off before they can brown and caramelize. This browning and caramelization will add depth and richness to the final dish.
Avoid using a Marsala “cooking wine”. It has added preservatives and will not make your sauce taste good.
Brown the chicken well in medium-high heat. A flour-coated chicken needs to be pan-seared using high heat or the chicken will not brown nicely and the flour coating will will turn gummy.
Don’t omit the cream. Like most, I try and avoid cream whenever possible. Here, it is essential to the dish and should not be omitted or replaced.

Store leftovers in a tight-lid container in the refrigeratorfor up to 4days.

Keywords: Chciken Marsala, Chicken, Mushrooms

Cuisine Italian-Inspired

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